MECHANICS OF WHEELS ON SOFT SOILS. REPORT 2. EFFECT OF WIDTH ON RIGID WHEEL PERFORMANCE

Tests were run in an air-dried sand using three rigid wheels 28 in. in diameter and 12, 6, and 3 in. wide to determine the effect of wheel width on performance. Performance in the study was evaluated in terms of pull, torque, and dissipated energy. It was found that the width/diameter ratio influenc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Leflaive, E M
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
ENERGY
MECHANICS
PERFORMANCE(ENGINEERING)
Soil Mechanics
SOILS
Surface Transportation and Equipment
TIRES
TORQUE
TRAFFICABILITY
WHEELS
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Summary:Tests were run in an air-dried sand using three rigid wheels 28 in. in diameter and 12, 6, and 3 in. wide to determine the effect of wheel width on performance. Performance in the study was evaluated in terms of pull, torque, and dissipated energy. It was found that the width/diameter ratio influenced the rate of increase of torque energy at low slips, but at high slips, the slopes of the dissipated energy lines were approximately the same for all rigid wheels. An increase in load at a given high slip caused some changes in torque energy, and there was a load for which the torque energy was a minimum. The dissipated energy tended to increase with an increase in load, so the pull energy tended to decrease with an increase in load. Energy parameters measured in these tests with rigid wheels were compared with similar parameters from tests with pneumatic tires. In all cases, the pneumatic tire was found to be more efficient, with the better performance attributed mostly to a lower energy dissipation. (Author)